While we were in Virginia we took a day trip to Washington, DC. I'd been there before, twice when I was a kid. As I told my wife, I'd like to go one day when I'm not a kid or with kids to see all the non-kid stuff. But we still had a good time.
I very much enjoyed seeing old favorites like the Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials, Washington Monument, plus glimpses of the White House and Capitol. I missed the FDR Memorial, but I did see the World War II Memorial, which, contrary to what I had been told by several people, I found to be quite nice, as well as moving (it helped to see it lit up at dusk).
We spent considerable time in the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History and the National Air and Space Museum. But as cool as the Smithsonian is, I discovered a travesty about which I am compelled to write.
As much as I had looked forward to seeing the statues of Jefferson and Lincoln, the dinosaur fossils, and Apollo Lunar Module, and the Spirit of St. Louis, I had hoped to pay homage to another monument to American greatness, the model of the starship U.S.S. Enterprise used in the original Star Trek series.
We made our way through the Air & Space Museum, finding plenty to marvel at, even if my boys didn't quite understand what they were seeing and my wife and sister-in-law are insufficiently appreciative of air and space technology.
But no Enterprise.
I remembered it being prominently displayed, and I had even checked the website to make sure it was still there. But I walked from one end to another on both floors, and nothing.
I went by the visitor information desk, but there was a line of people asking about lesser exhibits, so I kept looking. Finally my son Evan could not stand for a minute longer keeping his spending money in his pocket, so we took him to the gift shop. Once free of that madness, we sat down, discussed our plans for dinner, and got ready to leave.
But I just couldn't stand it. To travel so far, and not once more gaze upon the greatest starship of all? I went back to visitor information, which fortunately was less crowded.
"You mean the Star Trek Enterprise?" the guide asked. "If you go into the museum store, and go down to the basement, you'll see it in a case in the back."
I just stared blankly, disbelieving.
We had not gone downstairs in the gift shop--I didn't even see a stairway, and certainly no indication that such a majestic item was displayed there.
Evan and I went down to have a look, and sure enough, there it was, still stately, still dignified, still glorious, even if relegated to the far corner in the basement of the gift shop. The very model in that familiar grainy video, orbiting dozens of planets of Styrofoam and spray paint.
I fought back a tear, for once again being so close to greatness, but also for the injustice.
Was it for this that Kirk fought off the effect of the spores in "This Side of Paradise," or wrested command from Stephen Collins in Star Trek: The Motion Picture? Was Spock's sacrifice to restore warp power in Wrath of Khan in vain?
My God, Smithsonian, what have you done?
Evan was a tad disappointed, as he didn't really understand what he was looking at and had hoped it would be big enough for us to board. Here's a photo, bemusement evident on his face:
When we returned, I told my wife and sister-in-law of what I found, bitterness obvious in my voice.
They just rolled their eyes. "Well, maybe it ought to be over in American History," my sister-in-law said. "Since, you know, it isn't actually real or anything."
"Umm, excuse me," I said. "This is the U.S.S. Enterprise we're talking about."
Which was, and is, all that need be said.
I hate running down the Smithsonian guys, because they are the awesome preservers of some of the awesomest of awesome air and space awesomeness. But this is like, I don't know, letting the Argo rot away in a garage or something.
I hope you will join me and let the Smithsonian curators know that the U.S.S. Enterprise should be restored to a place of honor in the Air & Space Museum. If for some absurd reason this is not possible, then I would accept its movement to American History, so long as it is given the proper respect. (To make matters worse, I just noticed that they misspelled "starship" on the official website entry.)
You can let the Smithsonian know how you feel here. If need be, write your representative. Write President Obama, who once claimed to "believe in the final frontier." Write Shatner.
This injustice cannot stand.
Evan was a tad disappointed, as he didn't really understand what he was looking at and had hoped it would be big enough for us to board. Here's a photo, bemusement evident on his face:
When we returned, I told my wife and sister-in-law of what I found, bitterness obvious in my voice.
They just rolled their eyes. "Well, maybe it ought to be over in American History," my sister-in-law said. "Since, you know, it isn't actually real or anything."
"Umm, excuse me," I said. "This is the U.S.S. Enterprise we're talking about."
Which was, and is, all that need be said.
I hate running down the Smithsonian guys, because they are the awesome preservers of some of the awesomest of awesome air and space awesomeness. But this is like, I don't know, letting the Argo rot away in a garage or something.
I hope you will join me and let the Smithsonian curators know that the U.S.S. Enterprise should be restored to a place of honor in the Air & Space Museum. If for some absurd reason this is not possible, then I would accept its movement to American History, so long as it is given the proper respect. (To make matters worse, I just noticed that they misspelled "starship" on the official website entry.)
You can let the Smithsonian know how you feel here. If need be, write your representative. Write President Obama, who once claimed to "believe in the final frontier." Write Shatner.
This injustice cannot stand.
2 Comments:
Hi. I don't remember what led me here, but I enjoyed it. And yes: she should be back upstairs. I heard the have the Close Encounters mothership on display over in the new building, the "Udvar-Hazy center," right along with the real SR-71 and the real space shuttle Enterprise. So the "not real" argument doesn't hold much weight.
Totally agree. I figure heck, they have dinosaurs in that same museum, and everybody knows they're all made up, like that global warming. The Starship Enterprise is way more real.
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